The Divine Path

The moment Qiu Yan finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.

The Earth Deities, each wearing a different expression, all changed color slightly. Only after several breaths did they recover, though undercurrents surged within each of their hearts.

The four or five people nearest the desk exchanged glances.

The light in the bearded man's eyes gradually faded as his thoughts turned. A Divine Rank that arose on its own and can even expand its Divine Office by itself—if he is not a Heaven-Born Deity, then he was at least enshrined as a god through the People's Wishes and invested by popular will. That alone gives him no small prospects. But in the end, he is merely a minor wild god of the mountains, and his essence is actually cooking over a fire. He cannot be brought onto the stage.

Meanwhile, after hearing Qiu Yan's words, the City God seated behind the desk remained silent. The atmosphere throughout the hall suddenly grew heavy, but when the City God spoke again, that heaviness vanished without a trace.

"Could it be that you wish to return to your old trade?" Her words were full of doubt.

Since Qiu Yan had agreed to join her staff, she naturally had to show her sincerity. She had even made a direct promise just now. Yet Qiu Yan's words, though seemingly recounting his past, placed their emphasis upon his final "proper duty."

Cooking over a fire, ensuring the safety of a single meal?

To the Yuanning City God, that was truly beneath notice. It had not even caught her attention. If Qiu Yan had not been speaking of it so earnestly here, few of the gods present would likely have remembered that such a thing existed in the world.

Qiu Yan's gaze stirred slightly as he took in the reactions of the many deities in the hall. His heart gradually calmed, and he gained a clearer grasp of his earlier risky move.

His words about a proper duty were naturally not true. From the moment he had possessed the clay statue, he had already been able to receive incense and fire. Though his Divine Power was weak, he had undoubtedly become a deity of rank. As for anything before that, he knew nothing at all.

Over the past eighty years, all he had been able to sense lay within Mingyuan Mountain. Above and within the mountain, he had learned nearly everything through the Divine Hearing Method. Naturally, he understood that both his Divine Rank and Divine Office rested upon this mountain. His claim that cooking over a fire was his foundation had naturally been fabricated.

However, it was not nonsense spoken on a whim, but a plan Qiu Yan had formed after careful consideration.

Several days earlier, he had encountered the City God and the South City Land God. From them, he had learned some matters concerning the Divine Path and come to understand the concept of Heaven-Born Deities. Then he had obtained that booklet introducing The Way of Nature and Life, which gave him some information and allowed him to form his own understanding of the Divine Path.

Now that Monsters were attacking, his avatar was frail and could be shattered with a single blow. His only support remained his divine true body. Yet its strength was plainly limited. Though it was a Seventh Grade Mountain God, its Divine Power was weakened. Once it left Mingyuan Mountain, it did not even have a source of incense and fire. Every Divine Power Star used was one fewer. If he relied on that to fight the Monsters, not to mention his scholar avatar, even his true body might be dragged into the mire.

When I left Mingyuan Mountain, I used Divine Power to erase every trace that might have remained. But it seems that still could not prevent them from tracking me down. The Monsters came after me with ill intent from the start. Even if I leave Yuanning City and flee again, it is only a matter of time before they catch up. By then, with this avatar's strength, I will certainly be unable to resist. Running away will ultimately mean losing this fleshly body anyway, merely delaying the day. On the other hand, if I rise up and fight, the worst outcome is only the loss of this flesh-and-blood avatar. Since that is so, what is there left to hesitate over?

He looked at the City God before him, and the plan in his heart became increasingly clear.

What I rely on now is my true body as a deity, but what I can make use of is not my own Divine Power. It is the help brought by this identity. This world most likely has no Kitchen God, and that is an opportunity. The Kitchen God may seem weak and easily overlooked, but it can spread everywhere. Once it develops, there will be no need to worry about Incense and Fire Prayer Power at all! Besides, an office such as cooking over a fire will not conflict with the Divine Offices of other deities, and it can also keep the tree from growing so tall that it catches the wind.

After arriving at his uncle's home in Yuanning City, Qiu Yan had left early and returned late for three consecutive days. He appeared to be wandering about, but he was not simply idling away his time. He had been investigating and learning with purpose, both familiarizing himself with the life and customs of this world and searching for a path forward on the Divine Path.

Decades of being trapped in a temple had not only tempered Qiu Yan's will, but also made him deeply realize one thing—

The Divine Path could not be separated from the Human Path.

If no one worshiped gods, believed in gods, or made offerings to gods, then even if such a god could continue existing, it would merely be clinging to life. At the slightest stormy wave, it would face the danger of capsizing. Just like this time: because of a group of Monsters, Qiu Yan had been forced to leave his foundation and fall into danger.

Therefore, to ensure that he remained undefeated, he first needed sufficient Incense and Fire Prayer Power to nourish his Divine Rank, only then could he stand undying. And if he wanted incense and fire, he needed people to offer sacrifices and worship.

His three days of investigation had made Qiu Yan realize that the Divine Path flourished in this world. Gods were found within three feet above one's head, and the common people already had the habit of worshiping deities. All Qiu Yan needed to do was make his name known to more people. After that, people would naturally come to worship him.

Beyond that, he had also noticed something: the kinds of deities.

Yuanning Prefecture was the seat of a prefectural administration, far more cultivated than Qingchang County. Its gods were likewise varied and numerous. Aside from the Metropolitan City God, who ranked above ordinary City Gods, the four directions of the city each had a Great Land God. Every neighborhood also had scattered small Land God statues, while Wandering Gods, divine servants, and divine attendants were even more numerous.

Qiu Yan had heard of most of the names of these gods and Earth Deities in his previous life. The world of his previous life had been technologically advanced and classified all supernatural forces as demons and monsters, yet the corresponding legends had not diminished. The names of many Earth Deities were known in every household, with City Gods and Land Gods being two of them.

But among them, what caught his attention was another deity widely known in his previous life, yet in this world—or at least in Yuanning City—was scarcely known.

It was the Kitchen God, the Kitchen Lord.

The Kitchen God was no Lesser God. Though its name contained the word "kitchen" and its Divine Office was tied to the stove, in Qiu Yan's previous life it had been a guardian deity who held sway over a household's fortune and misfortune.

That such a deity was unknown to anyone in Yuanning City naturally drew Qiu Yan's attention. After investigating from many angles, he finally confirmed that there was no worship of the Kitchen God within the city.

The people regarded food as heaven. What could be more closely tied to common folk than eating and cooking?

If I can begin from this angle, then at the very least, I will not have to worry about incense and fire in the future. There will also be room to grow.

With such thoughts in mind, and after making deductions regarding the characteristics of Heaven-Born Deities, Qiu Yan had spoken of his initial "Divine Office" at this moment.

Noticing the meaning faintly revealed in Qiu Yan's words, the Yuanning City God pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. You shall remain the Divine Office Registrar and be granted the duty of overseeing the stove fires within Yuanning City. That will count as giving you an independent source of incense and fire. If you are willing, you may enter people's dreams in the future, guide the people's strength, and form a divine statue as soon as possible."

Once she finished speaking, the City God raised her hand. Green radiance flashed in her palm and condensed into a square seal, with a city carved upon its reverse.

Seal!

The square seal fell from thin air and trembled all over. The screen behind the City God changed, and People's Wishes surged forth like a swarm, gathering beneath the seal and condensing into a line of talismanic script—

"Hereby, the Mingyuan Mountain God is appointed Yuanning City God Registrar, to oversee the stove fires within the city!"

The line of characters floated in the air, each one clear, yet they were not a script found in the mortal world. Instead, they were composed of intricate patterns. The instant they formed, they flew toward Qiu Yan one by one, passed through his body, and entered his divine form shimmering with white light, where they began circling the Core Talisman.

Qiu Yan immediately felt his consciousness stall, as though a tremendous force were tearing his mind from his divine body and dragging it toward that screen!

Within the screen, surging People's Wishes rushed toward him like a violent gale, so fierce that a stabbing pain arose within Qiu Yan's consciousness.

The next moment, the few Divine Power Stars around the Core Talisman within his body suddenly blazed with brilliant light!

A mysterious ripple gathered between heaven and earth.